“We should learn from what happened in Japan.”
Three months before President Duterte leaves office, he did two things that might have a significant impact not only on our environment but the safety of many Filipinos. He signed an Executive Order adding nuclear power into the mix of options for the country’s future generating capacity. He also approved the recommendation of the DENR to authorize the resumption of open-pit mining that will further destroy our environment which has already been heavily degraded as a result of more than 100 years of mining.
Nuclear power has been a very controversial issue ever since the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was mothballed by the first Aquino administration due to, among others, corruption and safety considerations.
The country, however, pledged to do its part in limiting the increase of global temperature to not more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. This is done by replacing fossil fuel with renewable energy like wind and solar. It is no secret that most of the power plants that were constructed in the recent past are coal-powered, principally because they are cheaper to build.
Nuclear power, however, is one that does not emit harmful gasses into the atmosphere. The big question is, should the country be embracing this considering that we are right in the middle of the so-called ring of fire? Earthquakes in the country are a dime a dozen and many are moderately strong. The mothballed BNPP is also right in a densely populated area like Metro Manila where majority of the population in the Island of Luzon reside. What happens if a very strong earthquake like the one that struck Fukushima, Japan in 2011 strikes near the BNNP? Fukushima is still a wasteland like Chernobyl in Ukraine.
Just a few days ago a 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit northern Japan—again, near a nuclear power plantkilling four people. This prompted some Japanese lawmakers to question if it is still wise to reactivate the other Japanese nuclear power plants that were closed as a result of the 2011 earthquake.
It’s not only earthquakes that we should fear but also a nuclear power plant accident like a reactor meltdown. Where will all the Filipinos evacuate in case of a nuclear power plant accident? We have to remember that we are a densely populated country.
In spite of the obvious dangers, there are many who still would like to fast track nuclear power development in the country. Do they realize that there is hardly any place to put up a nuclear power plant that is far from population centers in this country? The best arguments of nuclear power proponents are that nuclear technology has improved tremendously over the years and that it should be safe to put up nuclear power plants even in a country like the Philippines. This may be so, but I would not be betting too much on this.
What happened in Japan should be a warning to us. The Japanese are so safety conscious but nonetheless, they were not able to tame the wrath and fury of a natural disaster that devastated their country and killed about 16,00 people.
We should go easy on nuclear power.
Last week, the first mining license was also issued. Prospective foreign investors must be singing happy days are here again. Open-pit mining will now follow which will level many of our mountains. It is incomprehensible why our government continues to embrace open pit mining that destroys irreplaceable mountains. There is no such thing as responsible mining. Once a mountain is leveled to the ground, it’s gone forever. It can never be restored, which should be food for thought to our government officials.
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Last week, former President Fidel V Ramos celebrated his 94th birthday. As part of the celebration, his Presidential Library was inaugurated virtually. This will open all his papers collected from 1950 when he graduated from West Point up to the time when left the presidency in 1998 to the public. Needless to say, this library will be a veritable gold mine for academic researchers looking for answers about events that transpired in the country in the last fifty years wherein President Ramos was a participant.
Not much has been heard about him in the past two years due to the pandemic. It might interest his friends, admirers, and loyal followers to know that he is alert and doing well for a man of his age. But his forced isolation is understandably hard on a man who likes to meet and socialize with friends. Due to his age, however, social distancing from friends and well-wishers is what his doctors want him to do. So, to all his friends and loyal followers, the Boss is OK.
